In the air: 'Battlestar Galactica' is worth its wait in gold

The remaining episodes of the fourth and final season of “Battlestar Galactica” begin airing tonight at 10 on the Sci Fi Channel, but I can't tell you anything about them because I don't want to know.

Please, no hate mail or severed Cylon heads in my bed. I am a loyal follower of Adm. William Adama and his time-jumping crew, and I can't wait to see how they wrap it all up when the final episode of this stunning space epic airs in March. I'm just not ready to see it now.

Here's the rub. The first season of “Battlestar Galactica” debuted in January 2005. After hearing raves from critics and besotted testimonials from fans, I started watching it in June. Of 2008.

Better late than never, right? You bet. Although I won't be ready for the rest of “Battlestar Galactica” for months, just knowing that the future is out there makes my heart glow like a Cylon's spine. And whether you are interested in the historically resonant battle between Adama's human crew and the robotic Cylons or not, this should make you pretty happy, too.

Because as my much-belated “Battlestar” conversion proves, it is never too late to discover your next TV obsession. Thanks to the magic of DVDs, on-air marathons and online television, shows may go on without you, but they are never really gone.

For instance, on the Warner Bros. Television Web site (thewb.com), you can watch complete seasons of “The O.C.,” “Veronica Mars” and “One Tree Hill.” Or if you would rather watch TV on your television, the USA Network is running a nine-episode “Burn Notice” marathon beginning at 8 a.m. Jan. 22, so you will be up to date when the second season of the sleek spy drama resumes that night.

And once the third season of NBC's “Friday Night Lights” debuts tonight, the new episodes will be on Hulu.com. The complete first and second seasons are already there.

Whether it's on computer or via the ever-expanding catalog of TV on DVD offerings, I am a big fan of arriving late to the couch-potato party. And as much as I hate the idea of robbing deserving shows of Nielsen points, I love stumbling into a new TV world that is no longer in its broadcast infancy.

For one thing, you don't have to worry about falling for a show in September, only to have it canceled before Thanksgiving. If you know going in that the first season of “Firefly” was also its last, you can decide if that's the kind of a heartbreaking TV commitment you're willing to make.

If you do decide to take the plunge, you can swim at your own speed. I have been moseying through the first (and only) two seasons of the surprisingly entertaining “Dark Angel” since last summer. Partly because I'm trying to make the 43 episodes last as long as possible, and also because unless you are a 14-year-old boy, a little Jessica Alba goes a long way.

But for me, one of the greatest innovations of the modern entertainment age is the TV on DVD Marathon, in which you power through four, six or 12 episodes in one or two bleary, beautiful days. This method works especially well for cliffhanging serials like “Lost” or “Alias,” because when you're watching TV on your own time, the only thing standing between you and that precious next chapter is the need to sleep.

Of course, this only works if the show is really, really good. And one hour into the DVD set, I knew that all the raves I had heard about “Battlestar Galactica” – that it was smart, that it was thrilling, that it was the science-fiction TV show for people who thought they hated science fiction – were true.

So this show from the winter of 2005 became my family's show for the summer of 2008. We watched it a few nights a week and crammed mini-marathons into the weekends. In August, we took season two with us on vacation. Like obsessed school kids devouring the Harry Potter series, we gulped and we gobbled, compelled to watch as many episodes as humanly possible and comforted by the fact that there were plenty more episodes to come.

In March, the devoted “Battlestar” masses will bid tearful goodbyes to this world of imperfect humans, wily robots and awesome space battles. But they won't be sad for long. This summer, production begins on “Caprica,” a prequel set 50 years before the human-Cylon war that kicked “Battlestar” into gear.

“Caprica” is supposed to debut on the Sci Fi Channel in 2010. I kind of hope I won't be ready for that one, either.